Shadow
by Micelle
Summary: This is the second Naruto fic I crafted... i based this one in the manga. The byakugan can see almost anything... including the truth... is he really him or just a mirage of a hoping heart?...Pls read... thanks
1. Part 1:Ghost of the past

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime or the characters in this story… I know it's very bad… I even cry because of it…but that's life.

Here's my second Naruto fic…

Hope you like this one…

LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ

Part 1: Ghost of the past

_It's been one year and two months ever since he took that journey with Jiraiya-sama and vanished from Konoha… right… it has been a year… Naruto-kun_

The firstborn of the recent generation of the prestigious Hyuuga clan was standing in front of the great mountain where all of the faces of the Hokages were engraved… as of now the construction of the recent Hokage was still ongoing.

"Hinata… he'll not be back…" a deep voice behind her suddenly said.

"I know… I'm just hoping," the girl then looked behind her, "Gomen… Kiba-kun."

"Let's go then." The energetic boy said as the dog in his head started barking.

"Akamaru seems to have not grown a bit." Hinata noticed.

"Are you joking? Akamaru's getting even bigger and heavier." Kiba said.

"Hountou? If he's getting bigger… then why are you still putting him on your head?"

"I just… I just want to…"

"Okay." Hinata smiled, _some things just can't be explained…_

TTTTTTTTT

Kiba dropped Hinata on their house.

The girl then went in seeing his father and his cousin training.

Hinata just smiled when the two glanced a look at her.

"It's been a tiresome day. I need a rest." Hinata said.

"Don't exhaust yourself too much." Neji suddenly said.

Hinata blushed a bit.

"Arigatou… don't worry I won't."

Hinata then retreated to her room and closed the door.

The girl then went to the window and stared blankly outside.

She can still remember him,

The loudest boy in class… the one who defied almost everyone and proved to them all that he too is useful… that he too is a ninja.

"Naruto-kun." She whispered audible enough for her to hear.

It was peaceful outside and a tree was shading her window.

Then peeking in the shadows beneath the tree she saw something…

Or rather someone…

"Blonde hair? Could it be?" she said startled.

_I must be hallucinating…_

But unfortunately she's not…

For what was hidden in the shadows was indeed a human… and it was he.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata shouted in the window.

The head in the trees turned to her…

For a moment her white eyes met his blue orbs… for a minute or two they were staring at each other.

But she broke the trance.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted again.

But this time the boy suddenly hid himself in the trees and vanished from her sight.

Hinata instantly jumped from the window and landed safely on the ground.

"Naruto!" she called, as she looked around.

But he wasn't there anymore…

However she was sure… it was him…

_It was Naruto…_

TTTTTTTT

"Are you sure it was him?" Sakura asked for the nth time already.

"Um… now that you made that point maybe I was… wrong…" Hinata said.

"But the Hyuuga eyes can never be wrong!" Sakura said eagerly…

With a lot of hope in her eyes…

Hinata's eyes rolled.

"You're waiting for him too aren't you?" Hinata asked.

Sakura's eagerness fade from her face.

"I've already lost Sasuke… and missing Naruto…"

"Gomen…"

"It's alright. I'm fine." Sakura said with a smile, "if he's ever back he'll show up anytime soon."

"I hope so…"

TTTTTT

The sky was blazing orange as Hinata was looking at the mountain from afar. The construction was making it dangerous so non-personnel were tabooed from the area.

Hinata sighed.

That piece of rock where four faces were engraved was very important for Hinata

For she believe that one day… another face will be constructed there too… his face…

The rokudaime…

But all she can do is hope.

"I think I better go now." Hinata decided.

She then turned around…

"Naruto-kun." A startled gasp was heard from her.

It was him… really him… standing before her.

That blonde hair, that blue eyes… that smile…

It was really him.

"Hinata…" he said smiling at her.

"You're back." She shouted happily.

"Yeah." He said suddenly saddened.

It bothered her. Something is different about him and it's not just in the way he dress… there was something different.

"Naruto." Hinata said, almost hesitantly.

"Many things changed since I was gone. Could you tell me all about it?"

This time Hinata didn't blush. Very unusual of her… for she just smiled.

TTTTTT

She spent the whole evening with him just talking to him about Konoha, about their friends… about everything.

The moon finally shone on the night sky. It was the time to depart.

"I had so much fun Naruto-kun." Hinata finally said.

"Good. How about tomorrow? You will come right? I want to talk to you again." Naruto eagerly said.

"I will. Don't worry. See you tomorrow, ne?" Hinata said smiling.

"I always knew that somehow you'll get infected by my bubbliness." Naruto said.

But before they parted, Hinata glanced a final look… not predicting the secret those marvelous eyes revealed.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hope you like this one… I really thought about it very hard…

Thank you very much for reading this and I really hope that you review…

Arigatou!


	2. Part 2:My existence

Disclaimer: I DON'T own Naruto, nor Hinata nor the anime Naruto… I pity myself.

So here's the next part

Hope you like it.

LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ

Part 2: My existence

Naruto was on top of one of the highest trees there is in Konoha…

He was still looking at Konoha –the village where he grew up.

"Did I? Did I really grow up here? Does anyone know me here? I mean the real me…"

The clouds then covered the bright moon, laying darkness on the earth before him.

He then closed his eyes and vanished as the second wind passed him by.

TTTTTTTT

Hinata woke up cheerfully that morning…

She sat up from her futon and stretched.

Upon opening her eyes…

A cheerful face was beaming at her.

Hinata almost jumped from her seat… she was very surprised…

"Na-Naruto-kun…" Hinata gasped.

"Did I wake you up?" Naruto asked.

"Why? Why are you here?"

Naruto then stood up, still smiling at the girl.

"I just want to see you… that's all."

"See me?" Hinata asked.

"I can't wait till later so I decided to come here."

Hinata blushed, the very first time she blushed in front of him.

"Does… anyone knows you're here already?" Hinata asked.

Naruto's eyes saddened, like what happened yesterday…

"No. The only one who knows I'm here… is you…" His face brightened up again, "That's why I want to spend the day with you… while I'm still here…"

TTTTTTT

_While you're still here? What does that have to mean?_

Hinata kept on thinking as they walk in between the trees of the forest.

"You look so serious." Naruto noticed.

"Gomen... I was just thinking about something." Hinata said as she tried to smile, "see? Now I'm okay. Where are we going by the way?"

"I just want to walk around with you… That's alright isn't it?"

Hinata smiled as she stared towards the sky.

"That's fine."

Then they continued to walk.

TTTTTTT

The river glistened in the sunlight. It was humming a silent song that can only be heard by some…

Hinata sat by the rocks as she dips her bare feet on the cold water.

"What a nice weather." Hinata exclaimed.

Naruto on the other hand was lying on the tree nearby, watching the girl by the river.

"Sure is… hope it could always be like this."

"But it won't… will it?" Hinata said looking down at the water and seeing her reflection.

Naruto looked at her, eyes shaken.

"You know?"

Hinata looked behind her, straight into his eyes.

"Hai… I know."

"Then why are you still here?" He asked.

Hinata then lifted her feet from the water and stood up. Her bare feet touching the ground.

"Because I want to know… the reason… why you're here." Hinata said softly.

The wind carried her voice and the water still whispered it's soft song…

Both could hear it…

The whisper of their hearts…

"Why I'm here? My existence?"

TTTTTTTT

_Naruto was training with Jiraiya-sama, like what he was accustomed to do… That's when a missing-nin attacked them both. He was very powerful… that even Jiraiya-sama got a hard time fighting him…_

_However… knowing Naruto…_

_You already know what he would do…_

_He fought even though he knows he was no match for the enemy._

_That's when he used the technique…_

_Kage bunshin…_

_One of the shadows… was me…_

_However… it seemed that even if I was like him… in every aspect… I was different…_

_Everyone decided to fight…_

_Everyone except me…_

_I hid in the trees… hoping that no one would notice me…_

_That no one would fight me…_

_And that I would continue to live… to exist…_

_And pretend that I do have a name…_

_Surprisingly yet at the same time I already expected it…_

_He won…_

_They won…_

_But as the same instance all of them…_

_The ones he called out disappeared…_

_They all disappeared except me…_

_For I didn't fight, I didn't get hurt…_

_I was a coward…_

_But at least I was alive…and I don't want to go back to that world…_

_The world of the shadows…_

_Where all bunshins came from…_

TTTTTTTTT

"But why me?" Hinata asked.

"Because I know you…"

"But what about Sakura or Kakashi-sensei or…"

"Because I want it to be you!" Naruto shouted, "Gomen."

"No it is I who should be sorry… I was getting irritating."

"No… I should explain…I knew that you would know what I really am… those marvelous eyes of yours can see almost anything… including my soul."

"Do you want me to know what… I mean who you really are?"

"I think so… because amidst all of Naruto's friends it is you who knows him. That's why I figured that maybe it's also you who can tell me what I am."

Hinata held the bunshin's hand tightly.

"Not what… but rather _who_ you are."

"Right… who I am…"

"You're really different… from him… though you look alike."

"Really? How different?"

"I can't tell…"

A loud roar then was heard… coming from Naruto's stomach.

The bunshin then laughed as Hinata giggled a bit.

"I think I'm hungry."

"Me too… so how about something to eat?" Hinata said as she stood up.

Naruto also stood up and took Hinata's sandals.

"Here."

"Arigatou…" Hinata was about to take it but Naruto bent down.

"I'll put it on for you."

Hinata blushed, "No. You don't have to."

"Please…."

Hinata was left with no choice, she sat down on the rock again as the bunshin put on her sandals one feet and the other.

Hinata just laid a soft gaze upon him.

"You're really different, Naruto."

"Thank you…"

"For what?" Hinata inquired.

"For calling me Naruto."

The water glistened even more as it whispered a peaceful song…

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Hope you like the second part…

Please review.


	3. Part 3:Courage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto including the characters that I've used here…

Thanks for all the reviewers and please keep on reviewing.

I know that this fic is a little vague…I'm sorry but I did that on purpose so that you would not know what Naruto is in the first part…

Hope I didn't became too vague on the second part…

Thank you for giving me a little of your time to read this…Though this is not a very good fic giving me a small amount of your time makes me feel like I'm useful for once.

LJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJLJ

Part 3: Courage

So he was named Naruto…

He finally had a name and he was glad that he did.

However he is still a shadow and shadows always fade when the brightness of the day turns into the darkness of the night. A shadow will not exist in times of pitch-black.

A shadow retreats whenever he has a problem.

He was somehow the opposite of the man he looks like.

But still… she believed in him.

She knows that he too is a part of him. She knows that it was destined for her to meet him. She knows that somehow she would be able to help him…somehow.

TTTTT

Hinata was staring at the mountain again. The workers were on break and so she took advantage of this to take a closer look.

Tsunade's face was about to be completed… though there were still some wooden supporters and ropes all around it was almost complete.

"Hinata." A boy called.

"Naruto-kun." Hinata smiled back.

Both decided to sit down, that's when both fell silent

"Are you still waiting for him?" The shadow asked as both sat quietly enjoying the scenery and the nice wind.

Hinata was just quiet.

"He cares for you too." He said and with that the girl looked at him.

"He cares for you too… the same feeling for his friends."

Hinata's eyes were focused on him, but she was still silent.

"I know he'll come back." Hinata said, "he promised… and he always keeps his promises."

"That's one more thing I admire of him. I hope I… too …could be like that." Naruto said.

"You could. I know that you could."

"You believe in me?"

"Yeah. I was like you… back then. I didn't believe in myself a tiny bit. I was like a leaf carried along by the current of the stream. I never resisted, fought back nor tried a bit to show then how I feel, what I want to say or my real self. I was really quiet. Neji even hated me for being so weak… however."

There were sparkle in Hinata's eyes; the shadow knew she was starting to think of Naruto.

"when I started to watch him… when I learned all about him… I realized that even if everyone thinks that you're a weak just as long as you believe in yourself… you'll not be as weak as they think you are." Hinata's voice finally broke as tears started to flow from her eyes, "I adore his ways of being a shinobi… and he influenced me a lot. That's why I also want to show the whole world that I can also be a good kunoichi. Someday I'll prove to them all. That is my way of being a ninja." She continued to utter. Every word she made a teardrop would roll down her cheeks.

Hinata finally noticed the pity in Naruto's eyes. That was the only time she learned that she was crying.

"Hinata." Naruto whispered as the girl wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry… I was supposed to stop myself from crying. I failed." Hinata said forcing a smile.

"You shouldn't stop yourself. I mean… Crying shows that you are a human. Those people who don't cry are monster with no emotion at all. There's nothing wrong with crying… really!"

Hinata smiled, she was just cheered up by a shadow.

Hinata's eyes then took a glance at the landscape of Konoha.

The sky was reddish-orange indicating the darkness that was approaching.

Hinata then looked at Naruto.

"Shall we go now?" Hinata asked.

"Okay." Naruto said and with that he stood up.

He then lends his hand to Hinata. The girl grabbed it carefully and pulled on it to help her up. Naruto pulled Hinata up. As she straightens herself Naruto took a few steps towards the edge and stared at the sun.

That's when he felt something making him turn around towards Hinata once more. He rolled his eyes upwards noticing a bridge broke and was now falling towards Hinata.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted.

Hinata looked up and saw a huge block of wood towards her along with some rocks.

Hinata knew she could dodge those easily; however right then and there she didn't even had the guts to move.

Hinata shouted on the top of her lungs as she crouches and placed her hands above her head to protect herself.

Hinata closed her eyes,

"Why can't I move?" she asked herself inside her head.

Then there was silence.

She slowly opened her eyes… just to see that Naruto was on top of her and using his back to defend the fragile girl from the falling objects.

She gasped in surprise.

"Naruto… you shouldn't unlike real people as soon as the bunshin gets serious injury…"

"I'll disappear." Naruto cut her words off, "I know."

"That's why you shouldn't do that in the first place." Hinata said.

But the bunshin just chukled.

"You taught me how to be strong and how to be courageous. I finally caught up to the man that summoned me. Next time he called for me I'll not hesitate to fight. You trusted me ever since the first time I appeared. Though you know that I'm not him you still treated me like a friend."

Hinata was quiet, her eyes still shaking.

"That's why," the clone continued, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. He's very lucky… to have someone like you… I envy him."

With a _puff_ the bunshin suddenly disappeared.

She knew him for days, but she felt like those few days were like months…and that she had known her for years.

But in just a blink of an eye… he was gone.

Hinata bowed down and cried, her tears falling on her fist.

"I lost another Naruto… again…" she cried, "you were very courageous… Naruto. I'm sorry."

The wind offered sympathy to the girl who was crouching there and crying.

TTTTTTTT

The night came once more and Hinata was sitting beside the window.

The moon was bright giving radiance to the quiet village of Konoha. It was peaceful… everything was tranquil.

Hinata was staring outside; the moon's brightness was reflected in her white puffy eyes.

"Please Naruto wherever you are… be careful… I'll always be waiting." She muttered.

TTTT

Meanwhile somewhere far away form Konoha a certain blue-eyed boy was also looking up at the same sky Hinata was looking at. He was staring at the bright moon as he lies on the grass.

He seemed to be very exhausted that's why he felt really relieved to relax after a whole day of training.

"I wonder how everyone is back at Konoha? I really missed them very much. I bet they're fine. Please wait for me… minna." He just smiled.

Someday he'll come back… maybe not now but surely someday soon…

--end--

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

This is one of those fics that was conceived because of a bloody test. That's why it was not that good… gomen…

But I hope you liked it even a bit…

Please review…

Thanks again.


End file.
